The Inheritance Book 1

Ch 43 Keeping Warm: Hannah Frost [Monday Night, Week Three]

Hannah's head bobbed forward in the same instant her eyes flew open. She must have dozed off. How much time had passed?

Oh! It was freezing! Hannah blew warm air into her numb hands and flinched when she noticed Mirabelle standing over her.

"Are you awake?" Mirabelle asked. Her teeth were chattering.

"Yes."

In the soft glow of the moonlight, Hannah could see fear and desperation on Mirabelle's face.

"Can I sit by you?" Mirabelle rubbed her bare arms and shivered. "It's so fucking cold!"

Hannah patted the ground next to her and went back to warming her freezing hands.

They huddled next to each other, both willing to ignore the awkwardness in their need for some warmth.

"I hope we don't fucking freeze to death tonight," Mirabelle mumbled.

Hannah wanted to tell her that if they died that night, it probably wouldn't be from the cold. Instead, she just agreed.

After a little while, Mirabelle said, "Why do you hate me?"

Seriously? Hannah turned her head slowly toward Mirabelle. "Uh, I should be asking you that question. When we first got here, I was totally ready to be friends with you, but you treated me like crap. If you think I don't like you, that's why."

Mirabelle's arm pressed against hers. True, it was warmer physically, but uncomfortable emotionally. Two enemies huddled up shoulder to shoulder discussing their grievances.

"I didn't like that you were trying to turn Kellyn against me," Mirabelle stated, as though it were fact.

"If you are talking about that one time at the pavilion, you should know that I was not talking about you. I was making a joke about me losing the contest! I said I would spend my ten bucks in winnings at Taco Bell on the way home. That's all! But you immediately assumed that I was talking about you!"

"Oh." Mirabelle sounded unsure. "Well, people are always talking shit about me, I guess that's just what I expect."

Hannah sighed. It would probably be a waste of breath trying to explain to Mirabelle that when you treat people as though they hate you, chances are they will eventually hate you. Hannah was too cold and too tired to go into such a deep conversation right now, and chances are it wouldn't go well. Better to keep it simple. "Well I wasn't, and I'm glad we finally cleared that up."

"So, you don't hate me." It was more a statement than a question.

Again, stick with the simple responses, Hannah told herself. What good would it do to explain the whole situation and her true feelings in depth?

"You gotta give people a chance," she said as a shiver rippled through her body.

"Maybe we could start fresh?" Mirabelle suggested.

"Okay." And then, because she knew it was what Mirabelle wanted to hear, "By the way, it was a good idea to come up here. I'm glad we did."

"Me too," said Mirabelle. "I would rather be out in the open than hidden in the forest. There's a better chance they'll find us."

Hannah shared her plan for writing out "HELP" in the morning. Mirabelle thought it was a good idea and said she would join her.

"Hey, so I have no idea what time it is, but maybe we should try and get some sleep." Hannah reached into her pocket for her tropical-scented Chapstick, and applied a generous layer to her cold, dry lips. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

She knew she probably would not be able to fall asleep again, but she didn't feel like talking anymore.

Unlike in the city, out here there were millions of twinkling stars scattered across the sky. Thanks to their pinpricks of light, along with the brightness of the glowing half-moon, she and Mirabelle were not swallowed up in total darkness.

Crickets chirped and an owl hooted in the distance. To those critters, this mountain was home, but Hannah didn't belong out here. Yawning and shivering at the same time, she tucked her arms tighter into her body and prayed that they would be rescued tomorrow.